Effectiveness of Diethylcarbamazine in Treating Loiasis Acquired by Expatriate Visitors to Endemic Regions: Long-Term Follow-Up

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1994-03, Vol.169 (3), p.604-610
• Main Authors: Klion, A. D., Ottesen, E. A., Nutman, T. B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antibodies; Antiparasitic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Diethylcarbamazine - therapeutic use; Eosinophils; Expatriates; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infections; Loiasis; Loiasis - drug therapy; Loiasis - epidemiology; Loiasis - immunology; Loiasis - transmission; Major Articles; Medical sciences; Microfilariae; Parasites; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Recurrence; Relapse; Symptoms; Travel
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/169.3.604

Although successful treatment of loiasis with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) has been reported, little is known about the long-term success rate of therapy or the predisposing factors for treatment failure. To address these questions, 32 patients were followed 2-15 years (median, 4.5) after DEC treatment; all had acquired infection while expatriate visitors to endemic areas of Africa. Using a strict definition of successful treatment, 12 (38%) appeared to be cured after one course of therapy and 5 (16%) after two courses. Of the remaining 15 patients, 3 continued to be symptomatic despite more than four courses of treatment. Although 12 of the 17 patients who relapsed did so within 1 year of treatment, severalhad relatively long asymptomatic periods (2-8 years). There was no predictive difference in clinical or laboratory parameters (including eosinophilia and specific filarial serology) between patients requiring one or more courses of therapy.